Turkish courts reopen to backlog of press freedom cases
The resumption of court hearings in Turkey has press freedom advocates anxious, amid fears of a second COVID-19 wave and ongoing pressure on the media covering the pandemic.
ISTANBUL — Images of people standing in long lines outside Istanbul’s Caglayan Courthouse filled social media streams in Turkey Tuesday as the nation’s courts reopened this week to a backlog of cases postponed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Now with many press freedom cases slated for hearings in the coming days, lawyers are preparing to defend not only their clients, but also themselves against the novel coronavirus as they head back to courtrooms.
Following a nearly three-month suspension of legal proceedings, Caglayan, the largest courthouse in Europe, was expected to receive at least 50,000 people today, according to Mehmet Durakoglu, head of the Istanbul Bar Association, which released social distancing guidelines for lawyers to protect themselves against COVID-19 exposure in trial rooms.
In anticipation of the large crowds, Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul said, “Our courthouses are ready for the new normal,” in a tweet Tuesday morning, stating precautions had been taken to contain the virus. Yet some lawyers complained the measures were insufficient as Turkey has witnessed a rise in new cases this week, sparking fears a second COVID-19 wave is on the horizon.
